If you really want to hydroform parts, and you live in the vicinity of
Portland, OR, then go to Usher Enterprises in North Plains. They do the
hydroforming for Van's.

You shouldn't hydroform the parts however, you should form them by hand.
All you need is a plastic mallet, a ball peen hammer and lead straps
about 1" x ½" x 18" (in addition to the formblocks you've already made.
I presume you included a 3° springback angle in your formblock). I
made these coaming formers out of 5052-H-32 by hammering it over a cheap
and dirty plywood formblock:

http://home.teleport.com/~guy_noir/i...ng/coaming.JPG

After I formed the first part, I shaved the formblock down about .050 to
make the opposing former so it would nest into the first former.

These photos show a couple parts I reverse engineered from mylars so I
could use a waterjet to cut formblocks. The parts themselves are hand
formed over the formblocks.

http://home.teleport.com/~guy_noir/i...og%20frame.jpg
http://home.teleport.com/~guy_noir/i...tures%2037.jpg
http://home.teleport.com/~guy_noir/i...tures%2038.jpg

This is a series of photos showing the procedure for forming a part used
on Noon Patrol Nieuports. After forming, the parts were heat treated
(7075 T-6).

http://www.eaa292.org/noon_patrol/jan_00.html


GaryP wrote:
Richard Lamb wrote in message ...

Forming any -O material is not difficult at all.
But in that condition, the parts are not very useful either,
at least for structural purposes.

Whatcha making, Gary?


Richard


The inner skins for landing gear doors. The outer skin is flat and made out
of -T3.

I intend on having the finished parts heat treated to -T4 but first I've
got to figure out how to form them. The male hydroform die was easy to
make the hard part is find a place with the capability to form them and
the willingness to do a small run for a reasonable price.

GaryP

--
John Kimmel


"Cuius testiculos habes, habeas cardia et cerebellum." - When you have
their full attention in your grip, their hearts and minds will follow.